After being pointed out for using plastic cups, the District Collector in Maharashtra’s Beed imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on himself.

The incident took place on Monday, October 7, when at a press conference at the collector’s office, IAS officer Asteek Kumar Pande was pointed out by a journalist that his office was using the banned single-use plastic cups to serve tea. The Maharashtra government had banned single-use plastic on March 23.

According to a News 18 report, Pande acknowledged the mistake by his department, imposed a fine on himself. As soon as the press conference concluded, Pande also pulled up the officials for failing to implement the ban in the collector’s office. 

The district authorities said that after the state assembly elections, the authorities would work towards the effective implementation of the plastic ban. In another similar incident, a poll aspirant who had come to file his nomination papers was carrying the deposit money in plastic. As soon as the officials noticed the violation, the aspirant was fined with Rs 5,000.

As per the Centre’s directives, single-use plastic is banned in all government offices across the country. In a bid to spread awareness, the Election Commission has also banned the usage of single-use plastic during the campaigns in all poll-bound states.

Also Read: Tribute To Mahatma Gandhi: India Likely To Ban Single-Use Plastic Products From Oct 2